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Eminent surgeon urges action against quacks

A renowned surgeon, Dr Altaf Hussain Awan, has underlined the need for creating public awareness against non-qualified doctors and fake Hakims, as they mislead innocent people by claiming cure for different medical conditions which have no treatment other than surgery by a qualified surgeon.
Talking to APP here on Saturday, he expressed concern over lack of effective action against quacks which claim to treat every ailment through herbal medicines.
He said that delay in seeking proper treatment leads to complications for patients and threatens their lives.
Dr. Altaf Awan said that quacks often use media for the publicity of their fake treatment methods and medicines, which needs to be discouraged.
He underlined the need for creating awareness about the importance of surgery among general public and urged the provincial authorities to improve training facilities for surgeons.
The eminent surgeon stressed that advanced laparoscopic surgical processors should be introduced in all district headquarters hospitals where bed availability is an issue and poor patients could not afford medicines. He said that laparoscopic surgery is conducted in daycare, so a patient is discharged the same day.
Answering a question about the growing number of patients of hypertension in Pakistan, he said that high blood pressure should be recognised as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and mortality.
He called for the inclusion of hypertension in public health agenda to ensure better surveillance and control of this cronic medical condition. Dr. Altaf Awan pointed out that 18 to 20 per cent of Sindh’s population suffers from hypertension, but the rate of treatment compliance and control is merely between three and six per cent.
He said that 1.2 billion adult world population is living with hypertension, 60 percent of which belongs to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Pakistan has 30 to 40 million hypertensive population, he added.—APP